Shailee Korrane was still in high school when she had her first panic attack.

Eventually, she decided to seek help. “I was obviously very afraid,” she tells Global News. “It was actually a friend who was diagnosed with bipolar disorder who kind of sat me down and said, ‘I’m really worried about your health and you remind me of me before I sought care.'”

Today, following the most inclusive and accessible consultation with Canadians with disabilities and with the disability community, the Honourable Kirsty Duncan, Minister of Science and Minister of Sport and Persons with Disabilities, introduced the proposed Accessible Canada Act to Parliament. This historic legislation would enable the Government of Canada to take a proactive approach to end systemic discrimination of people with disabilities.

Canadians with disabilities felt a surge of tempered optimism on Wednesday as they watched Canada table its first piece of federal legislation aimed at improving accessibility for people with disabilities.

In a major step forward in the national grassroots campaign to make Canada become accessible to four million people with disabilities in this country, the Trudeau Government just introduced in Parliament for First Reading its promised new Canadian accessibility law, called “An Act to Ensure a Barrier-Free Canada”. This law was promised in the 2015 federal election at the request of Canadians with disabilities, to ensure that Canada becomes fully accessible to four million people with a physical, sensory, mental, intellectual, learning, communication or other disabilities.

In a major step forward in the national grassroots campaign to make Canada become accessible to four million people with disabilities in this country, the Trudeau Government just gave formal notice that as early as this week, it plans to introduce into Parliament a new law. This law was promised in the 2015 federal election at the request of Canadians with disabilities, to ensure that Canada becomes fully accessible to four million people with disabilities.

These are exciting times. In the 2015 election, the federal Liberals promised to enact a national accessibility law. Last year, the Canadian Government committed to introduce new national accessibility legislation this spring. This spring ends this Thursday. We are waiting with anticipation to see if the Federal Government keeps its word on the timing of this legislation. We are poised to be ready to provide an analysis of the bill, once we get a chance to read it, and to offer suggestions, if needed, on how it can be improved.

Inclusive Media and Design Inc is a proud supporter of Accessibility News.

Inclusive is ready to caption and video describe all your video for web, DVD, and computer desktop. They can also assist you in understanding and implementing Ontario’s AODA Integrated Standards’ media requirements. Consider having them check that any of your new web site content is compliant with an Accessibility Audit.

We have gotten right to work on developing a good working relationship with Ontario’s incoming new Government. You can help with this effort. On June 14, 2018, the AODA Alliance sent a letter to Premier-Designate Doug Ford. We set that letter out below. In it, we: